Chapter 5: Almost...
612 Words
Emma had never driven this fast before.
Her trembling hands gripped the steering wheel as she glanced at the dashboard clock.
Please...
Let Ethan be okay.
Her phone rested on the passenger seat.
The daycare teacher had assured her it was only a mild fever.
But Emma knew better.
To a mother...
Even a small fever could feel terrifying.
At the top floor of Blackwood Group...
Adrian stood silently by the window.
His eyes followed Emma's car as it sped out of the parking lot.
Daniel stepped into the office.
"Sir, the board members have arrived."
No response.
Daniel cleared his throat.
"The meeting starts in five minutes."
Still nothing.
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
Emma had looked...
Terrified.
Not stressed.
Not angry.
Terrified.
"Reschedule the meeting."
Daniel blinked.
"...Sir?"
"I said reschedule it."
"But the board—"
"I'll explain later."
Daniel had worked with Adrian for nearly three years.
He had never seen him postpone an important meeting.
Not once.
Yet today...
Everything seemed different.
Little Stars Daycare.
Emma rushed through the front gate.
The teacher greeted her with an apologetic smile.
"I'm so sorry for worrying you, Ms. Carter."
Emma shook her head immediately.
"Please don't apologize."
She knelt beside a small boy sitting quietly on a colorful rug.
Ethan looked up.
His cheeks were slightly flushed.
"I'm okay, Mommy."
Emma gently touched his forehead.
Still warm.
Not dangerously high.
But warm enough to make her heart ache.
"You should have called me sooner."
The teacher smiled.
"We wanted to observe him first."
Emma nodded gratefully.
"You did the right thing."
She lifted Ethan into her arms as if he weighed nothing.
At that moment, a cheerful little voice echoed from across the room.
"Mommy!"
Ella ran over with her backpack bouncing behind her.
"You came!"
Emma laughed softly.
"Of course I came."
"Did you think I'd leave without my favorite girl?"
Ella grinned.
"I'm your only girl."
"And my favorite one."
The little girl giggled proudly before slipping her tiny hand into Emma's.
The teacher watched the three of them with a smile.
"You have wonderful children."
Emma looked at Ethan and Ella.
Her tired eyes softened.
"They're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Meanwhile...
A black Rolls-Royce turned into the same street.
Adrian slowed down the car.
He had never been here before.
It was a quiet neighborhood.
Small cafés.
Flower shops.
A daycare.
His gaze briefly landed on the colorful sign.
Little Stars Daycare.
Children laughed inside the playground.
Without realizing it...
He smiled.
Then his phone rang.
Daniel.
"Sir, the board is asking where you are."
Adrian rubbed his forehead.
"I'm on my way."
He ended the call and started the engine again.
As the Rolls-Royce pulled away...
Emma walked out of the daycare carrying Ethan.
Ella skipped happily beside her.
They were only a few seconds too late.
Just a few.
Neither of them saw the other.
A few minutes later...
Traffic came to a halt at a red light.
Emma sighed quietly.
She looked into the rear-view mirror.
Her breath caught.
A familiar black Rolls-Royce had stopped directly behind her.
No...
It couldn't be.
Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
The license plate.
She remembered it perfectly.
Adrian.
The traffic light turned green.
Without thinking, Emma made a sharp turn into a narrow side street.
The sudden move forced the Rolls-Royce behind her to continue straight.
Adrian frowned.
"What..."
He glanced toward the small street she had disappeared into.
Too late.
She was gone.
He gripped the steering wheel.
"...Damn."
For reasons, he couldn't explain...
Watching Emma disappear for the second time in his life hurts more than it should have.
- Writer
